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Post by ritt on Jul 8, 2014 15:15:30 GMT -6
Decades ago (Probably the late 80's) I was a snot-nosed kid hanging out in a comic book shop and I overheard one of the "Cool" older college kids there going on about this AWESOME science-fiction paperback he had just read. My fuzzy memory is that the title was Beast, but Google search of that turned up nada.
The book took place in the Roman Empire. The hero was the most bad-ass and HARDCORE Roman Centurion in the Empire, the ultimate soldier of Rome who has fought everybody and everything and has never been bested... until one night an alien spaceship crashes, and an alien super-predator comes out (The ship was a zoo transport or something). Our hero then has to assemble a crack team of the greatest killers in the Empire to hunt down and destroy the rampaging beast.
Does this ring any bells with anyone? Thanks very much in advance for any info!
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Post by krusader74 on Jul 8, 2014 16:44:36 GMT -6
Could this be it: the Aquiliad by Somtow Sucharitkul? These were 3 SF stories originally from the 1950s, collected together and published as a novel-length book in December 1983. The story is set in an alternative earth where Rome never declined and went on to conquer the world. In addition to battling aliens, there are also Aztecs, time-traveling criminals and sasquatch. If that's not it, take a look at this list of Fiction set in the Roman empire. There are a couple other possibilities listed there. |
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Post by ritt on Jul 8, 2014 17:26:25 GMT -6
Could this be it: the Aquiliad by Somtow Sucharitkul? These were 3 SF stories originally from the 1950s, collected together and published as a novel-length book in December 1983. If that's not it, take a look at this list of Fiction set in the Roman empire. There are a couple other possibilities listed there. 'Fraid not, but The Aquiliad does look like a lot of fun and I'll have to get it off Paperback Swap eventually. Nothing on that Wikipedia list rings any bells either. IIRC, the book the guy described was very macho and violent, not at all light-hearted. |
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tog
Level 4 Theurgist
Detect Meal & What Kind
Posts: 148
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Post by tog on Jul 8, 2014 18:03:05 GMT -6
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Post by ritt on Jul 8, 2014 18:14:45 GMT -6
First published in '85... Good Sir, I believe thats it! Thank you kindly. |
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tog
Level 4 Theurgist
Detect Meal & What Kind
Posts: 148
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Post by tog on Jul 8, 2014 19:43:15 GMT -6
You're more than welcome! Glad to know my immersement in science fiction geekery hasn't been wasted.  |
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Post by thorswulf on Jul 9, 2014 7:46:24 GMT -6
The original short story is also in Vettius and his Friends, by David Drake. I recommend it highly!
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Post by ritt on Jul 9, 2014 9:26:52 GMT -6
The original short story is also in Vettius and his Friends, by David Drake. I recommend it highly! Sweet! Killer is now on it's way to me. I'll probably be getting The Aquiliad and Vettius and His Friends shortly. My searches turned up Space Gladiators, another Drake anthology. Is that one as fun as the title suggests? |
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Post by desertscrb on Jul 24, 2014 17:37:18 GMT -6
Anything by David Drake is worth reading. He's also done a lot of fantasy, as well as military SF like Hammer's Slammers.
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